Good Wishes
[part 2 of 2]
An essay inspired by Reb. Michael Lerner

© David Moorhead — April 2007

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In many offices of corporations in the U.S. are workers and directors, surprisingly, some are males, who acknowledge what’s happening. They would love to have a new bottom line of love and generosity; they would love their good wishes for ethics and ecological sensitivities to become apparent; they would love their display of awe for being born human not disregarded as fanciful and unreal spirituality. Despite the corporatocracy they’re caught in, those many courageous people remain on with good wishes and ethical sensibilities while threatened with dismissal if they don’t maximize bottom lines.

Masculine dominated institutions are seen undermining reasonable, specific measurable results, to an extent that rationally maximizing bottom lines thwart what workers consider of value—their spirituality.

Enter the patriarchal, religious political right, which says there’s a spiritual crisis in this society; and, they’re correct. And, the crisis is based on materialism and selfishness; and, they’re correct. Unfortunately, they turn and ask ‘you know where that comes from, don’t you?’

They relentlessly claim that special interest groups are introducing materialism and selfishness into society. Groups picked for religious scorn depends on which nation being considered, and at which historical periods it was to their political advantage to demean a group’s beliefs. Any group will be labeled special interest, i.e., African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans, gays and lesbians, feminists, Jews, and so on, if a group begins moving for accountability, responsibility, and equality to help repair a nation’s social structure.

The ironic complexity is exposed. When movements demand that corporates correct such things as worker income; improve working conditions; end environmental pollution; stop gender discrimination; offer health care, the resolute religious patriarchs have systematically opposed any introduction of accountability and responsibility for corrections.

Indeed, this is duality at its finest: Religionists speak to workers who need a name for the source of frustration (a spiritual crisis), while simultaneously being the primary force in society championing materialism and self interest in the workplace. Workers must then take that confusion and frustration and pain into their personal lives at home.

Progressive forces have allowed the right to become the only assumptor and articulator of the spiritual crisis to taxpaying hirelings, who silently scream wishes for relief and good will, and solid community for their futures.

What would many institutions’ new bottom lines look like? Love: Attentiveness to one’s feelings, and the well being of one’s self and others; a state of staying awake to perceive one’s self and another person not for what can be maximized in the workplace, but only that they both exist being human in gawking-awe of the nature that created them.

The fundamental core idea of a progressive spirituality is the West, in particular, needs a new bottom line. Alternative definitions are needed for productivity, efficiency, and rationality, so that institutions, corporations, and social practices are not judged rational, productive and efficient to the extent of maximizing money and power. But, also to the extent of maximizing love and care, kindness and generosity, ethical and ecological sensitivity, enhancing responses to human beings as embodiments of the sacred, and to the Universe with awe and wonder and radical amazement for the grandeur of all that is.
~ Rabbi Michael Lerner, from his lecture, Cambridge Forum, February 9, 2006, National Public Radio (NPR), San Francisco, California USA

[Go to part 1 of 2, The Real World]

Our constant curiosity is key
to watching what’s being created.
~ David Moorhead